Okkkkk Sooooo when I was 1st invited to the "TOP OF THE WORLD" studio, I was super stoked!!!! Only because they have been 1 of the biggest influences in the music industry...especially in CLEVELAND!!!!! When I opened the door leading into the ultra swanky studio I felt somewhat overwhelmed by all the faces that were smiling at me as soon as I was securely in. Josh Maunus...aka Big brother was more quiet like, ...maybe a lil camera shy...but very polite. So when it was Matt Maunus turn to sit in the Sparkplug Ent interview chair (*no it's not an actual chair...but more of an actual vibe...don't worry...you'll have a turn soon...xoxo) I was curious to see if he was anything like his brother.
Matt Maunus is a breath of fresh air!!!!!! (Like good air...good clean crisp "loud" air) I must admit, I was kinda expecting the "lil brother" to be the shy one, the passive one. Yet as soon as Matt Maunus sat down he took complete control!!!!! His voice was deep and strong....and yes... both Maunus bros talk almost exactly alike. Matt Maunus was leaned back, rocking in the chair. I was thinking "uhhh ohhh is he like some kinda "cool guy"?". Just when I felt I was gonna turn my nose up, and roll my eyes....I smiled. Matt Maunus is genuinely that "cool guy". It was far from an act. His whole conversation was positive, confident, and excited!!! He has a way of gently bringing you into his convo, he spoke with such confidence I couldn't help but think he could be a salesman, or mos def a leader of a corporation. Like if he was to say "listen up"...you would find yourself listening. Matt Maunus is FUN!!!! He showed no signs of being nervous, and he reminded me of ZAK MORRIS from saved by the bell. Ya know the cool dude in school, silly, fun, and just good peoples.
A. I've been with Top Of The World since birth....I mean me and my brother have always worked on music together, ever since I was younger, Josh would be in his room making music, I used to see everyone's reaction from the music, and people always wanted to be a part of what was going on, seeing that as a kid I was like "that's cool, I wanna do that too".
Q. What's your title?
A. Producer/ Sound Engineer
Q. How did you get started?
A. I actually used to rap a long time ago!
Q. What was your rap name?
A. Ummmmm I really didn't have 1.....
Q. Wait...so your name was just "Matt The Rapper"?
A. Hahahahahahah nooooooooo
Q. What beats did you use?
A. We used to rap over industry tracks, sound click wasn't available, and there wasn't alot of home producers where we could get exclusive beats from. We Would rap over 50 cent, DIPSET instrumentals..I finally decided I wanted to make something exclusive for myself.
Q. So were you like f*ck it, I'ma make my own sh*t?
A. YUP!!!!! I was like "F*ck I'ma make my own sh*t"
Q. How did you learn how to put it all together, producing can be difficult?
A. I had a lil training,not to mention I was in 5th grade band...and as corney as that sounds, it helped alot cuz I learned how to count measures, time signatures, formatting of songs and stuff like that. My mom played piano , and my dad was heavy on the guitar, and Josh always had a studio...so music is a natural step for me.
Q. What was the 1sn't the best beat ever...but it was called "MOUTHPIECE"...S/o to MIDNIGHT...
Q. How would you describe the growth with TOP OF THE WORLD within the last year?
A. AWESOME!!!!!!!! It's been crazy, I mean word of mouth has spread so quickly, and we try and provide the best services...for everybody.
Q. What was your experience like at the Ohio Hip Hop Awards this year?A. Unbelievable!!!! It was crazy seeing the logo that we started with...in an ice sculpture...man that was insane...f*ckin insane!!!!!!
Q. Do you and your brother work on projects together?
A. Of course, see I just used to be head
producer, but it got to a point where many people had dates on projects, and Josh was working 12hr days...it was killin him. So I decided to take it serious, sat down, learned some of the techniques that Josh uses, and yeah...Josh pretty much trained me on how to be an engineer.
Q. What do you look for in an artist when they come to TOP OF THE WORLD?
A. It's always nice when an artist has a vision. It's really nice when they have an idea of what they would like to record, instead of just writing and saying, "aight im'a jus go lay it down", it's a pleasure working with people who understand the formatting of a song.
Q. Why are some of the producers you are inspired by?
A. WHOA!!! Alot of people!!! I grew up listening to rap music all of the time. Soooo it's alot of Dr. Dre, Timbaland, and most of the big name producers who created their own sound.
Q. How do you feel when you hear a song you produced thats really hot?
A. It's a GREAT feeling!!!!! IT'S really cool seeing positive feedback from something you've created.
Q. How'd you pick "EXTRA PAPER" for SHUICIDE?
A. I had heard a song off 1 of his "Kickgame" mixtapes that Josh had played me. He was 1 of the 1st artists who came thru and I was like "this is really goin somewhere" , It was different from all the everyday stuff you usually hear, so I brought SHU thru, told him to pick a beat...complimentary, and he just happened to pick "EXTRA PAPER" beat.
Q. So does the whole TOP OF THE WORLD work together on projects?
A. YES!!!! We all work together, we all work on different projects, but we still like to come together collectively .....3 heads are better than 1 !!!!!
Q. Would you like to give any S/o's?
After our interview ended....and I finally stop giggling like some kinda "Lisa Turtle" from Saved By The Bell...Matt Maunus pushed his chair back and thanked me. I noticed that for him to be the younger brother....he was very gracious and sweet. He totally admires his older brother, and at times when he would speak of TOP OF THE WORLD...he would say "My brother and I"...and then quickly he would look around and name the other members. He was proud when he said "it's not jus us anymore...we have a whole team"....and when he would say that his eyes would light up and he seemed very happy to have a new family. I had a chance to watch Matt Maunus work in the studio with new talent. He was patient and very accommodating. He took his time searching beats, he had an actual musical consultation for the artist, he was a host, and just an all around cool guy to be around, especially if you are ever at the "TOP OF THE WORLD"!!! XOXO
mattmaunus@facebook.com
@maunusbeats
@topworldstudios
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